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Lack of a Dedicated State-Level Effort Challenges North Carolina’s Capacity to Increase Teacher

Diversity

Final Report to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee

Report Number 2020-09

November 9, 2020

Program Evaluation Division

North Carolina General Assembly Legislative Office Building, Suite 100

300 North Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27603-5925

919-301-1404 www.ncleg.net/PED

75 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $51.98 or $0.69 per copy.

A limited number of copies are available for distribution through the Legislative Library: Rooms 2126, 2226 Room 500

State Legislative Building Legislative Office Building Raleigh, NC 27601 Raleigh, NC 27603

919-733-7778 919-733-9390

The report is also available online at www.ncleg.net/PED.

NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY Legislative Services Office

Paul Coble, Legislative Services Officer

Program Evaluation Division 300 N. Salisbury Street, Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Tel. 919-301-1404 Fax 919-301-1406

John W. Turcotte Director

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

November 9, 2020

Senator Brent Jackson, Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee Representative Craig Horn, Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee North Carolina General Assembly Legislative Building 16 West Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27601 Honorable Co-Chairs:

The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee’s 2019–20 Work Plan directed the Program Evaluation Division to examine the effectiveness of North Carolina's current efforts to increase diversity in the teacher workforce. The directive for this study further required the Program Evaluation Division to explore whether other states are engaging in effective efforts and to report on any promising practices applicable to North Carolina. I am pleased to report that the Department of Public Instruction cooperated with us fully and was at all times courteous to our evaluators during the evaluation. Sincerely,

Kiernan McGorty Acting Director

Mandatory Evaluation Components Report 2020-09: Lack of a Dedicated State-Level Effort Challenges North Carolina’s Capacity to Increase Teacher Diversity

N.C. Gen. § 120-36.14 requires the Program Evaluation Division to include certain components in each of its evaluation reports, unless exempted by the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee. The table below fulfills this requirement and, when applicable, cross-references where the component is discussed in the report.

N.C. Gen. §120-36.14Specific

Provision

Component Program Evaluation Division Determination Report Page

(b)(1) Findings concerning the merits of the program or activity based on whether the program or activity

(b)(1)(a) Is efficient There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented and so PED could not examine their efficiency.

11,12

(b)(1)(b) Is effective There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented and so PED could not examine their effectiveness.

11,12

(b)(1)(c) Aligns with entity mission There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented.

11,12

(b)(1)(d) Operates in accordance with law There is no requirement in law for a program to address teacher diversity, so the lack of such a program is not in violation of law.

11, 20

(b)(1)(e) Does not duplicate another program or activity

There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented. The proposed initiatives do not duplicate any existing programs.

11,12

(b)(1a) Quantitative indicators used to determine whether the program or activity

(b)(1a)(a) Is efficient There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented. Therefore, indicators have not yet been established.

11, 12

(b)(1a)(b) Is effective There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented. Therefore, indicators have not yet been established.

11, 12

(b)(1b) Cost of the program or activity broken out by activities performed

There is no program addressing the recruitment or retention of teachers of color at the state level. There is movement towards such programs, but they have not yet been implemented. The cost of implementing these programs has not yet been determined.

11, 12

(b)(2) Recommendations for making the program or activity more efficient or effective

Should the General Assembly wish to increase teacher diversity, it should:

31, 32

1) Mandate the inclusion of at least one Historically Black College or University or minority-serving institution in the North Carolina Teacher Fellows program

2) Require the State Board of Education in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission and the Department of Public Instruction to develop a plan for an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency

(b)(2a) Recommendations for eliminating any duplication

PED determined there were no duplicated efforts. The recommendations focus on modifying existing programs to increase teacher diversity.

31, 32

(b)(4) Estimated costs or savings from implementing recommendations

The recommendations would not require the additional expenditure of state funds.

31, 32

PROGRAMEVALUATIONDIVISIONNORTHCAROLINAGENERALASSEMBLY

November 2020 Report No. 2020-09

Lack of a Dedicated State-Level Effort Challenges North Carolina’s Capacity to Increase Teacher Diversity

Highlights IN BRIEF: The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee’s 2019–20 Work Plan directed the Program Evaluation Division to examine the effectiveness of North Carolina's current efforts to increase diversity in the teacher workforce. The directive required the Program Evaluation Division to explore whether other states are engaging in effective efforts and to report on any promising practices applicable to North Carolina. Although there is no dedicated state-level effort to promote the recruitment and retention of teachers of color, many local education agencies (LEAs), charter schools, and educator preparation programs (EPPs) within the state have developed and implemented initiatives to promote diversity in their teacher workforce.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that students of color experience many benefits from having a teacher of the same race. Both the recruitment and retention of teachers of color affect the diversity of the teacher workforce. People of color become teachers at lower rates than their white peers, as the pool of potential teachers of color narrows dramatically for black and Hispanic/Latino student candidates relative to white students at various points along the teacher pipeline. Teachers of color also leave the profession at higher rates due to a variety of factors.

The diversity of North Carolina’s teachers does not reflect the diversity of its students

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on data from the Department of Public Instruction.

17.1% 17.8% 18.7% 19.8% 20.5%

49.3% 50.1% 50.9% 51.6% 52.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Percentage Minority Teachers Percentage Minority Students

Teacher Diversity Report No. 2020-09

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Despite achieving slight improvements in the diversity of its teacher workforce during the last few years, a sizable gap remains between the share of teachers of color in North Carolina and the share of students of color. A gap exists in every LEA in the state and in every other state in the country.

North Carolina lacks a dedicated effort to produce, recruit, and retain teachers of color.

Lack of a dedicated state-level effort leads to wide variation in district-by-district diversity. Local supplements and geographical factors often play a role in determining if students will be taught by a teacher of color. Disparities in resources result in some LEAs and charter schools being able to fund efforts to increase the proportion of teachers of color in their classrooms, whereas other LEAs and charter schools are less capable of doing so.

Educator preparation programs also face barriers to recruiting students of color. Many EPPs recruit from within their institution of higher education. EPPs are required to report on the number of candidates and graduates of color each year, yet they are not currently held accountable for their performance on these metrics.

Absent a statewide approach, LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs have implemented efforts to promote a diverse teacher workforce, but the effectiveness of these efforts is difficult to determine.

Many LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs only recently implemented their teacher diversity initiatives, and thus it may take several years to yield results. Further, these efforts include a wide variety of goals and metrics, making comparisons across programs difficult.

Efforts undertaken in other states demonstrate that options exist for North Carolina to more comprehensively increase the recruitment and retention of teachers of color.

Common efforts employed in other states include financial incentives, government directives, mentorship programs, and data monitoring policies. Although many of these efforts would require new funding, North Carolina could better leverage existing programs to improve teacher diversity without requiring the expenditure of additional state funds.

Recommendation. The General Assembly should mandate the inclusion of at least one Historically Black College or University or minority-serving institution in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program.

Recommendation. The General Assembly should require the State Board of Education with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission and the Department of Public Instruction to develop a plan for an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency.


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Purpose and Scope

The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee’s 2019–20 Work Plan directed the Program Evaluation Division to examine the effectiveness of North Carolina's current efforts to increase diversity in the teacher workforce. The directive for this study further required the Program Evaluation Division to explore whether other states are engaging in effective efforts and to report on any promising practices applicable to North Carolina.

Four research questions guided this evaluation: 1. What is the current state of diversity among North Carolina’s

teacher workforce? 2. What current efforts exist to increase the diversity of North

Carolina’s teacher workforce? 3. How effective have current efforts been in increasing the diversity

of North Carolina’s teacher workforce? 4. What approaches are other states taking to improve teacher

diversity that could be applied to North Carolina?

The Program Evaluation Division collected and analyzed data from several sources, including

academic literature on the impact of a diverse teacher workforce and strategies to increase the recruitment and retention of teachers of color;

interviews with subject matter experts on the impact of a diverse teacher workforce;

interviews with officials from other states; reviews of policies and legislation from other states; a survey of local education agencies (LEAs) and charter schools; a survey of educator preparation programs (EPPs); interviews with and follow-up documentation from select LEAs,

charter schools, and EPPs; state-level data from the Department of Public Instruction on

student and teacher demographics in the state; and national data from the American Community Survey on the diversity

of the national teacher workforce.

For this report, teacher diversity refers to the racial and ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce. The connection between the racial and ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce and student outcomes has been well-studied. Because researchers have found mixed effects of gender diversity on student outcomes and other forms of diversity have been less thoroughly studied, this report only examines racial and ethnic diversity.


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Background Research shows that students experience many benefits from having a teacher of the same race. A 2015 study using standardized test data from Florida showed that having a teacher of the same race increased students’ reading and math test scores, with stronger effects at the elementary school level.1 Black and white students experienced an increase in reading scores when taught by a teacher of the same race, and black, white, and Asian/Pacific Islander students achieved gains in math.2 The study further suggested that lower-performing students particularly benefit from having a same-race teacher. Likewise, a 2007 study of North Carolina students also found positive effects in reading and math when teachers and students shared the same race.3

For black students, the effects of having a same-race teacher are not limited to short-term gains in test scores. Using data on North Carolina public school students, a 2017 study found that having a black teacher in elementary school leads to a 31% decrease in the high school dropout rate for black high school students, and a 39% decrease for the most disadvantaged black male students.4 In addition, the study found that exposure to a black teacher in elementary school raised college aspirations for these students and their probability of taking a college entrance exam. It is important to note that the authors of the 2017 study strictly focused on the impact of having a teacher of the same race in elementary school on black students; thus, its results are not generalizable to other demographic groups.

Researchers have proposed several theories to explain how teachers of color improve the academic performance of students of color. For example, research has shown that teachers of color may serve as role models for students of color. Other researchers propose that teachers of color are more likely to have high expectations for students of color. This factor may be particularly crucial because other research has shown that students of color, particularly black students, are more sensitive than white students to teacher expectations. Further, although a large body of research has shown that black students are more likely to be disciplined than other students for the same misconduct, which researchers attribute in part to teacher interpretations of student behavior, research has also shown that black students taught by black teachers are less likely to be disciplined for incidents that require subjective judgment. Research has shown that disciplinary incidents can have long-term consequences for student achievement.

Both the recruitment and retention of teachers of color affect the diversity of the teacher workforce. The recruitment of teachers of color focuses on the supply of teachers, also known as the teacher pipeline. The

1 Anna J. Egalite, Brian Kisida, Marcus A. Winters. 2015. “Representation in the classroom: The effect of own-race teachers on student achievement.” Economics of Education Review, Volume 45, pp. 44-52. 2 The impact of a teacher’s race on white students is less clear; some studies have found positive effects of white teachers on white students whereas others have found positive or no effects of teachers of color on white students. 3 Charles T. Clotfelter, Helen F. Ladd, and Jacob L. Vigdor. January 2007. “How and Why do Teacher Credentials Matter for Student Achievement?” NBER Working Paper No. 12828. 4 Seth Gershenson, Cassandra M. D. Hart, Constance A. Lindsay, Nicholas W. Papageorge. March 2017. “The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers.” IZA Institute of Labor Economics Discussion Paper Series.


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teacher pipeline is marked by several phases potential teachers must pass through to enter the workforce, including

1. graduating high school, 2. entering college, 3. graduating from college, 4. earning a teaching degree, 5. passing teaching licensure exams, and 6. entering into teaching.

In North Carolina, different entities control separate phases of the pipeline. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the State Board of Education are responsible for teacher licensure and oversight of educator preparation programs (EPPs), whereas local education agencies (LEAs) and charter schools hire and retain teachers.

At each phase, a disproportionate number of people of color exit the pipeline. Exhibit 1 shows the difference in high school and college graduation rates by race/ethnicity. In 2015, 94% of white young adults and 95% of Asian young adults had high school diplomas, whereas only 89% of black young adults and 76% of Hispanic/Latino young adults had diplomas.

The diversity of potential teachers is limited even further in later stages of the pipeline. In 2015, 40% of white adults and 65% of Asian adults had college degrees, compared to only 21% of black adults and 16% of Hispanic/Latino adults. The disproportionately small percentage of black and Hispanic adults with college degrees is particularly constraining. All states require at least a bachelor’s degree to become certified to teach. Researchers at the Urban Institute found that even if all black college graduates became teachers, the number of black teachers would still barely exceed the number of white teachers.

Exhibit 1

Lower Rates of High School and College Graduation Among Black and Hispanic/Latino Adults Limits the Pool of Teachers of Color

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on data from the Urban Institute.

76%

89%

95%

94%

16%

21%

65%

40%

Hispanic

Black

Asian

White

College Degree High School Diploma


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Alternative licensure pathways are generally more diverse than traditional educator preparation programs (EPPs). Teachers may enter the profession either through traditional EPPs or through alternative licensure pathways. Teachers who enter through EPPs often major in education as undergraduates or, for secondary teacher candidates, major in a particular subject area. The rate at which undergraduate students choose to major in education is another point along the pipeline where diversity decreases. For example, although Asian students attend and graduate from college at high rates, only 2.3% of Asian college graduates earn a teaching degree. As a result, despite there being a larger pool of Asian undergraduate degree holders compared to other people of color, Asian teachers make up a small portion of the teacher workforce in the United States.

Alternative licensure programs allow students who already have a bachelor’s degree to work towards a regular teaching credential while serving as a teacher of record in the classroom. These programs are often more flexible than traditional EPPs, making them attractive to teacher candidates who need to work while earning the credential. Whereas traditional EPPs average having 26% candidates of color, the average proportion of such candidates in alternative licensure programs ranges from 35% to 41%. In North Carolina, 25% of teacher candidates enter the teaching profession through alternative pathways, though nationally only about 15% of new teachers enter the profession through these programs.

Teachers of color have lower passing rates on standardized teacher licensure exams. About two-thirds of states require passing scores on the Praxis series of teacher licensure exams. The Praxis I assesses basic math, reading, and writing skills and may be used either for entry into an EPP or for teacher licensure. The Praxis II measures content knowledge and pedagogy and is used for teacher licensure. Teacher candidates of color fail these standardized exams at higher rates than white teacher candidates.

However, low passing rates may not indicate that these aspiring teachers would be less effective. Researchers using North Carolina data found a positive but small relationship between some teacher licensure tests and student achievement but cautioned that many candidates who fail the test may have been high-quality teachers and that many who pass may not be very effective.5 A 2008 study that also used data from North Carolina found a weak correlation between teacher test performance and effectiveness.6 Further, researchers have found licensure tests may not accurately predict effectiveness for different demographic groups. Many states now include performance assessments, including the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers and edTPA, in their licensure processes. These performance assessments have been shown to be better predictors of student academic gains than standardized teacher licensure

5 Dan Goldhaber. April 2007. “Everyone’s Doing It, but What Does Teacher Testing Tell Us about Teacher Effectiveness?” CALDER Working Paper 9. 6 Dan Goldhaber, Michael Hansen. April 2008. “Race, Gender, and Teacher Testing: How Objective a Tool is Teacher Licensure Testing?” Center on Reinventing Public Education Working Paper No. 2008_2.


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tests and demonstrate less or no difference in passing rates between teachers of color and white teachers.

White college degree holders who majored in education are hired to teach at higher rates than education majors of color. This discrepancy may be due to degree holders of color electing to enter another profession or poor recruitment for open teaching positions within minority communities. However, researchers have also documented that white teachers are hired at disproportionately high rates relative to how often they apply for jobs.

Once teachers of color are in the classroom, they leave at higher rates compared to white teachers. One study found that in the 2008–09 school year, the turnover rate for teachers of color was 24% higher than for white teachers.7 Researchers examining why turnover is higher among minority teachers have found that teachers of color often have different reasons for leaving the profession than nonminority teachers. Studies have found that the percentage of minority students in a school is significantly related to white teacher turnover but not to turnover of teachers of color. Instead, turnover among teachers of color has been linked to school-level organizational characteristics. In particular, researchers associate higher levels of decision-making influence and higher levels of teacher autonomy in the classroom with lower levels of teacher turnover among teachers of color. However, teachers of color are more likely to work in schools lacking these positive working conditions. Teachers of color are also more likely to become teachers through alternative licensure pathways, which have lower retention rates on average than traditional EPPs.

Recruiting and retaining teachers of color is part of the State’s approach to meet its Leandro obligations. In May 1994, families and school districts from five North Carolina counties filed suit against the State of North Carolina and DPI, alleging that the State had failed to meet its constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education to all students in North Carolina. In what is now known as the Leandro case, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided that the State has an obligation to provide what it defined as a “sound basic education” for all students. In 2018, all parties in the lawsuit requested that the Court appoint an independent, nonpartisan consultant to study the current status of the State’s Leandro compliance. The Court appointed WestEd with the agreement of all parties. In October 2019, WestEd released a report with findings on the State’s progress and recommendations for improving the provision of education throughout North Carolina.

7 Richard Ingersoll, Henry May. 2011. “Recruitment, Retention, and the Minority Teacher Shortage.” Consortium for Policy Research in Education. CPRE Research Report #RR-69.


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In its report, WestEd states that bolstering the pipeline of teachers of color is critical to improving the achievement of students of color in North Carolina. It also identified the provision of a qualified, well-prepared, and diverse teaching staff in every school as one of eight areas of critical need in the state. Accordingly, to strengthen the pipeline of teachers of color, WestEd recommended the State

set data-informed goals to increase the racial/ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce and annually and publicly report on the diversity of the teacher workforce;

partner with LEAs to identify ways to be more intentional about recruiting and retaining a diverse teacher workforce; and

provide guidance and support for LEA talent officers and human resources staff on successful practices to ensure a diverse workforce.

In addition, WestEd included recommendations for increasing the diversity of the teacher pipeline in several of its other recommendations related to providing a qualified, well-prepared, and diverse teaching staff in every school. WestEd stressed the importance of teacher diversity when it recommended the State

provide targeted funding to support increased capacity and enrollment of EPPs at minority-serving institutions;

include minority-serving institutions in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program and develop targeted recruitment strategies to attract candidates of color to be Teaching Fellows; and

support high-retention pathways to licensure that have been shown to increase teacher diversity, such as teacher residency, “Grow Your Own,” and 2+2 programs.

By consent order, the State and DPI are required to implement the recommendations of the WestEd report. The State has begun taking action and intends to release a plan in 2021 for increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of North Carolina’s teacher workforce. This evaluation examines the effectiveness of North Carolina's current efforts to increase diversity in the teacher workforce and explores whether other states are engaging in effective or promising efforts that may be applicable to North Carolina.


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Findings Finding 1. The diversity of North Carolina’s teachers does not reflect the diversity of its students.

From 2015 to 2019, the diversity of North Carolina’s teacher workforce increased by three percentage points, from 17.1% to 20.5%. However, during this same period North Carolina’s student population grew more diverse in equal proportion, maintaining a gap of more than 30 percentage points between the percentage of students of color and the percentage of teachers of color during this five-year period, as illustrated in Exhibit 2.

This gap between teacher and student diversity is found in every local education agency (LEA) in the State. Each of North Carolina’s LEAs has a more diverse student body compared to its teacher workforce. Amongst LEAs, the difference between the share of students of color and the share of teachers of color ranges from 6 to 58 percentage points.

Nationally, the teacher workforce has grown more diverse but likewise still lags behind the diversity of the student body. In the 2011–12 school year, 18% of teachers were teachers of color, an improvement from the 1987–88 school year, when the national share of teachers of color was only 13%. By the 2017–18 school year, this percentage had increased further to 21%. However, in recent decades the diversity of the student body has also increased. In 2002, students of color made up 41% of the nation’s public school students. By 2012, that percentage had increased to 49%. As expected based on those data, some level of disparity in the diversity of the teacher workforce and the diversity of the student body exists in every state, ranging from a few percentage points to 47

Exhibit 2

North Carolina’s Teacher Workforce Is Less Diverse Than Its Student Population, With More Than a 30 Percentage Point Gap


17.1% 17.8% 18.7% 19.8% 20.5%

49.3% 50.1% 50.9% 51.6% 52.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Percentage Minority Teachers Percentage Minority Students


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percentage points. Appendix A shows the state-by-state change in the percentage of minority teachers from 2007–08 to 2017–18.

As shown in Exhibit 3, both the share of black teachers and Hispanic/Latino teachers in North Carolina has grown slightly during the past few years; in 2019, 15% of the State’s teachers were black and 3% were Hispanic/Latino. Despite these increases, a significant gap remains between the share of these teachers and the share of black and Hispanic/Latino students, as black students make up 25% of North Carolina’s student population and Hispanic/Latino students constitute 18%. Appendix B presents a detailed breakdown of student and teacher demographics in 2015 and 2019.

Exhibit 3

Despite Growth in the Share of Black and Hispanic/Latino Teachers in North Carolina, Large Gaps Persist

2015 2019

Percentage of Black Students 26% 25%

Percentage of Black Teachers 13% 15%

Percentage of Hispanic/Latino Students 15% 18%

Percentage of Hispanic/Latino Teachers 2% 3%

Note: Data includes traditional and charter public schools.


In summary, although the State has made progress in recruiting and retaining teachers of color, this progress lags behind the increase in diversity of North Carolina’s student body. As a result, a gap persists between the diversity of the State’s student body and its teacher workforce.

Finding 2. North Carolina lacks a dedicated effort to produce, recruit, and retain teachers of color; in the absence of such an effort, individual LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs have implemented initiatives to promote a diverse teacher workforce, but the effectiveness of these efforts is difficult to determine.

Dedicated, coordinated statewide efforts targeted at recruiting teachers of color provide well-structured mechanisms to facilitate the widespread preparation, hiring, and retention of teachers of color across an entire state, mitigating disparities in district-by-district diversity that arise when such efforts are left up to local entities. As Finding 3 discusses, several states have such efforts in place.

Although the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) monitors the diversity of the state’s teacher workforce, it does not maintain a statewide effort to recruit and retain teachers of color, nor does it provide guidance to LEAs and charters on how to increase teacher diversity. Unlike some other states, North Carolina does not stipulate increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce as a stated goal in state law. Although increasing the number of teachers of color in schools across North Carolina is Objective 6 in the State Board of Education’s strategic


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plan, the plan lacks performance measures or component steps for the achievement of this goal. DPI staff stated they have no specific effort in place to increase the diversity of the State’s teacher workforce. Failure to identify and share best practices limits the ability of districts, particularly smaller and less-resourced districts, to know the best ways to recruit and retain teachers of color.

One planning effort that is currently in its early stages is the 15-member Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Task Force, established in December 2019 through Executive Order 113.8 The Task Force arose from a summit of educators, school and district leaders, and elected officials and is charged with advising the Governor on “strategies that would address matters of equity and inclusion within education.” The Task Force’s full report, including recommendations, is due January 1, 2021. However, unlike the General Assembly, State Board of Education, or DPI, which can mandate actions to improve the diversity of the teacher workforce, the Task Force can only make recommendations.

Though the State lacks a dedicated effort to recruit teachers of color, it has recently implemented a statewide recruiting tool for all teachers. In partnership with Teach.org and Best NC, DPI created the website Teach NC, a statewide marketing tool for teaching positions in North Carolina. In addition to job postings, the site hosts information on the licensure process and the State’s LEAs; it also facilitates connections between job candidates and current North Carolina teachers. Although Teach NC is not explicitly targeted at recruiting teachers of color, DPI hopes the site will contribute to improving diversity by broadening the pool of candidates. According to DPI, 48% of the subscribers and registered users of Teach NC self-report as racial or ethnic minorities. However, it is unclear at this point what impact Teach NC will have on the diversity of the teacher workforce, given that increasing teacher diversity is not its specific purpose.

School district and charter school administrators interviewed by the Program Evaluation Division contend that local supplements and geography often determine if students will be taught by a teacher of color. Coordinated efforts help to curtail competition across districts for teachers of color. Competition in recruiting teachers of color is an issue in North Carolina, as several LEAs interviewed by the Program Evaluation Division stated they actively seek these teachers to join their workforces. Interviewees further stated that teachers generally gravitate to LEAs that can offer larger local supplements to increase salaries.9 LEA and charter school administrators stated that district-level variation in local supplements contributes to teachers of color being disproportionately distributed in urban areas, which they contend provide greater local supplements. As a result, students in rural areas have less opportunity to be exposed to teachers of color.

School administrators also contend that rural districts have to overcome disadvantages inherent in their geographic location in recruiting and

8 Another early-stage planning effort is the STRIDE (Strategic Teacher Recruitment with Intentionality, Diversity, and Excellence) Working Group, which began studying the issue of teacher recruitment in September 2020. 9 Since this trend applies to all teachers, it would include teachers of color seeking the higher wages provided in those districts.


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retaining teachers, as teachers may prefer to work and live in more urban areas with greater access to amenities such as restaurants and shopping.10 Absence of sufficient diversity in a teacher workforce is difficult to quickly remedy. As a result, according to school administrators, another challenge arises from the fact that teachers of color in schools where all or virtually all of their colleagues are white are difficult to retain due to a lack of coworkers who can share their perspectives.

Like LEAs and charter schools, interviews with educator preparation program (EPP) administrators indicate they also experience challenges in recruiting candidates of color, including

the limitations on recruiting students directly because EPPs must admit students through the university’s admissions office,

a need for funding for recruitment programs, a lack of attraction to the teaching profession caused by low

earning potential and lack of prestige, and the cost of education required to become a teacher.

EPPs are required to report on the diversity of their candidates, but there is no coordinated effort in place to analyze the data or increase the diversity of teacher candidate populations. EPPs are typically college-based programs that produce teachers within the college’s school of education. Federal law requires EPPs to report on the diversity of their enrollees but not on the diversity of their graduates. State law requires data to be collected on the diversity of those students actually graduating and likely to pursue teaching. Additionally, DPI publishes EPP performance data disaggregated by race and sex, including data on accountability measures, in a publicly available dashboard. However, there does not appear to be any effort in place to systematically use the data for decision-making purposes. For example, it does not appear any entities compare EPPs on the diversity of their candidates and graduates. Performing cross-program and historical analyses could help pinpoint programs successful at producing teachers of color for the state’s teaching workforce or identify programs that need to focus more on diversity.

Absent a statewide approach, LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs have implemented their own efforts to promote a diverse teacher workforce, but the effectiveness of these efforts is difficult to determine. Individual LEAs and charter schools employ several common efforts to produce, prepare, recruit, and retain teachers of color. Exhibit 4 details examples of some of these efforts and activities.

10 Although these factors are not unique to the specific problem of recruiting and retaining teachers of color, they do present additional challenges.


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Exhibit 4

Examples of Common LEA and Charter School Efforts to Promote a Diverse Teacher Workforce

Example Common Effort

Example Common Activities

Grow Your Own

Pre-collegiate programs to recruit local middle and high school students to pursue an education career and return to the community to teach

May include college scholarships or forgivable loans in exchange for returning to teach in the community

May include hiring priority for program participants who return to the community to teach

Can also include community-driven efforts to recruit members of the geographic community, like paraprofessionals and parents, to become teachers in that community

2+2

Partnership between educator preparation programs (EPPs) at universities and community colleges to recruit students who have completed two years at the community college to finish their junior and senior years in the EPP

Can also include recruiting from early college high school programs

TA to Teach

Program to enable current teaching assistants (TAs) to become licensed teachers through completion of an EPP while working as a TA

May include scholarships May involve partnerships between local education agencies and EPPs

Teacher Cadets Programs

Program that aims to promote an interest in teaching as a career among high school juniors and seniors

Typically offered as an honors course with a curriculum involving hands-on teaching methods and field experiences

Designed to give students a positive realistic view of the teaching profession and encourage them to attend college and teach in North Carolina public schools

Can also include a focus on leadership

Future Teachers Programs

Program that encourages teaching as a career path by allowing high school students to enroll in two rigorous college-level education courses

Courses taught by highly qualified high school teachers Provides students with enriching field experiences Prepares high school students to tackle college coursework Students receive three high school career and technical education credits

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on review of literature and programs in place.

The Program Evaluation Division surveyed all LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs on their individual local efforts to increase the diversity of teacher workforces. Several survey respondents that identified diversity initiatives were subsequently selected for interviews to gather additional details on their efforts. These surveys and interviews represent the first attempt of its kind to gather information on local teacher diversity initiatives in North Carolina. A total of 45 LEAs and 46 charter schools reported teacher diversity initiatives in survey responses.11 Exhibit 5 provides examples of teacher diversity initiatives LEAs and charter schools have in place across the state.

11 The Department of Public Instruction provided the Program Evaluation Division with contact information for 112 of North Carolina’s 115 LEAs; Catawba County, Hoke County, and Wilkes County Schools were not included in the survey. Response rates for these surveys were 40% for LEAs and 22% for charter schools.


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Exhibit 5: Example Teacher Diversity Initiatives of LEAs and Charter Schools Entity Focus Activities

LEA 1 Recruitment

and Retention

Provides district students with a $5,000 scholarship each year for four years to attend a university EPP, which converts to a loan if recipient does not return to the district to teach

Includes community support and mentorship for scholarship recipients

LEA 2 Recruitment Provides teachers with professional development focusing on poverty Targets HBCUs and MSIs for recruiting teachers

LEA 3 Recruitment

and Retention

Redirected budget from out-of-state career fairs to in-state career fairs at HBCUs Working toward posting positions with organizations to establish state and national minority recruiting

opportunities Uses an early childhood Career and Technical Education program with hopes to build it into a 2+2

program with a local university and community college Works with local education foundation on teacher education scholarship for district students

LEA 4 Recruitment

and Retention

Partners with a local university to administer a TA to Teach program targeting candidates of color. The university courses are online, allowing TAs to continue to work while in the program. TAs must meet the university’s eligibility criteria and are then guaranteed TAs admission to the EPP.

Plans to partner with local non-profit and university to build a cohort model “Grow Your Own” program targeting district high schoolers, especially black and Latinx students. The program will provide students with tuition supplements for college, a yearly five-week summer academy, mentorship, experiential learning opportunities, and professional development. Participants are guaranteed a position in the district upon completion of college and licensure.

Partners with Profound Gentlemen to support and retain black male teachers by providing coaching, professional development, and networking opportunities

Offers racial equity professional learning to all educators through the Academic Services division

LEA 5 Recruitment Partners with HBCUs to host student teachers and recruits at career fairs Plans to begin a residency partnership with a local HBCU for district TAs Provides professional development on diversity topics for district staff

LEA 6 Recruitment Works with the local NAACP chapter’s education committee on recruiting materials Attends career fairs at HBCUs

Charter School 1 Recruitment

Provides professional development on cultural sensitivity to students and teachers Recruits from job fairs at HBCUs Develops multiple events for all students with the aim of fostering an understanding of the black

community

Charter School 2

Recruitment and

Retention

Provides intensive professional development on the history of race and racism with a focus on deconstructing racism

Works with a professor at a nearby university to recruit teachers of color and provide professional development on racism for staff

Works to improve school conditions for teachers of color by educating staff on race and racism and working toward schoolwide goals on curriculum development

Charter School 3

Recruitment

Uses social media, especially Facebook, to reach national groups of diverse professionals and recruit teachers of color

Attends job fairs at HBCUs Aims to have a black teacher in every grade level span so students are always exposed to teachers of

color

Charter School 4 Recruitment

Provides professional development workshops on racial equity to staff, board members, parents, and students

Partners with CoThinkk to develop stronger relationships with professionals of color Note: HBCUs stands for Historically Black Colleges or Universities. MSIs stands for minority-serving institutions. The summaries of the examples within this exhibit are not exhaustive of each LEA or charter school’s initiatives.

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on interviews and a survey of LEAs and charter schools.


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In addition, two LEAs operate approved alternative certification programs and are considered EPPs in their own right. These programs promote “Grow Your Own” efforts within their districts, training already-employed staff (such as teaching assistants) to become classroom teachers. Exhibit 6 lists some of the efforts undertaken by these LEAs in their roles as EPPs.

Exhibit 6: Example Teacher Diversity Initiatives of LEAs Operating EPPs LEA Focus Activities

LEA 8 Recruitment

and Retention

Holds recruitment events at HBCUs and minority-serving institutions Uses district’s residency program as opportunity to recruit non-traditional candidates who are more

diverse Provides mentoring and support for residency candidates in first and second year of teaching Uses opportunity model allowing teachers to earn higher salaries without leaving the classroom to

become administrators Rewards principals who retain teachers Operates a teacher cadet program the LEA hopes to expand to a second high school that is

predominantly black Focuses on teaching as a career path for district students

LEA 9 Recruitment

Strives to have 50% people of color in each residency cohort Uses Black Educators of Excellence award to provide residency candidates with stipends, tuition

reimbursements, edTPA testing funds, and funds for social activities like book studies Partners with local education foundation to develop a similar program for Hispanic/Latino residency

candidates Note: The summaries of the examples within this exhibit are not exhaustive of each LEA’s efforts.

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on interviews and a survey of LEAs. Besides the two LEAs that operate their own EPPs, a total of 61 teacher diversity initiatives were reported across 36 EPPs in survey responses.12 Exhibit 7 provides several examples of those initiatives across EPPs.

12 The response rate for the survey of EPPs was 67%.


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Exhibit 7: Example Teacher Diversity Initiatives of EPPs

EPP Focus Activities

EPP 1 Recruitment

Recruits students from area community colleges and early college high schools for a 2+2 program Brings middle and high school students on campus to promote careers in education Operates a large residency program Offers a three-hour preliminary course to residency candidates to boost candidate GPAs, thus

eliminating GPA requirements as a barrier for candidates of color

EPP 2 Recruitment

Recruits from within the university Focuses on anti-racism pedagogy and providing intercultural programs for candidates Operates a four-year cohort model program that offers partial scholarships and intensive

programming Operates intensive programming which includes undergraduate research, a multi-state study trip,

policy coursework in Washington, D.C., and a global experience in New Zealand

EPP 3 Recruitment and

Retention

Works with two local LEAs to support beginning teachers Partners with two local LEAs to build a Teacher Cadet program, which provides high school students

with the opportunity to take an introductory education course, work with teachers in the classroom, and visit a university EPP

Includes a diversity recruitment plan focusing on increasing the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the EPP’s candidates

EPP 4 Recruitment

Targets black and low-income students seeking graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields

Strives to increase black and low-income representation in teaching K-12 STEM subjects Operates a new master’s program in elementary education Seeks to implement a new Master of Education program in science and computer science Provides scholarships for program students, including scholarships for preliminary coursework that

program applicants might need

EPP 5 Recruitment and

Retention Uses a competency-based alternative licensure program with wrap-around services

Note: The summaries of the examples within this exhibit are not exhaustive of each EPP’s initiatives.

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on interviews and a survey of EPPs.

Many LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs have only recently implemented their teacher diversity initiatives, thereby limiting assessment of their efforts, the effects of which may take several years to realize. For example, one LEA’s “Grow Your Own” model program provides high school students in the district with a renewable scholarship to attend a university with an EPP in exchange for the student’s agreement to return to the LEA as a teacher. Though the program began prior to 2017, its first participants are just now in their first two years of teaching; no one has yet fully completed the program.

In addition, program metrics vary widely and are not comparable across LEA and charter school initiatives. Some LEAs and charter schools use outcome or output-oriented performance metrics whereas others use descriptive measures, and not all districts and schools have program data on recruitment and retention. As a result, the Program Evaluation Division was unable to compare the effectiveness of various initiatives. If, in the future, the State wishes to compare LEA and charter school teacher diversity initiatives or to implement a statewide teacher diversity initiative, the State should require standardized data collection and measurement techniques so effectiveness can be determined.


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In summary, the State lacks a dedicated effort to promote a diverse teacher workforce and does not provide LEAs or charter schools with guidance or best practices on how to promote teacher diversity. EPPs are required to report on the diversity of their candidates and graduates, but the data has not been systematically analyzed to identify trends. Absent a coordinated approach, LEAs, charter schools, and EPPs are left to their own devices in attempting to promote a diverse teacher workforce. A variety of localized efforts exist, yet many of these initiatives are long-term efforts that may not produce results for several years. Further, program differences across institutions make it difficult to compare efforts at this time.

Finding 3. Efforts undertaken in other states demonstrate that options exist for North Carolina to more comprehensively increase the recruitment and retention of teachers of color.

There are several ways states can support local school districts and educator preparation programs (EPPs) in preparing, recruiting, and retaining teachers of color.

Financial incentives. Financial incentives are the most common strategies used by states to recruit and retain candidates and teachers of color. Most incentives include scholarships, grants, and forgivable loans to pay for or alleviate the cost of preparation and licensure.

For example, New Jersey provides two grants, each of which totals $375,000, through its Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline project. The purpose of the project is to develop and measure programs that recruit, prepare, support, and retain a diverse pool of teacher candidates who reflect the diversity of New Jersey’s student population. Institutions that apply for the grant must provide a description of their plan to recruit and support minority teacher candidates in an EPP, a description of their partnership with high-poverty school districts, strategies to expand their teacher pipeline, and other background information. This grant is administered by the New Jersey Department of Education and is a 100% state-funded initiative.

Mentorship programs. Mentorship programs ensure candidates successfully complete preparation programs and provide guidance and feedback to beginning teachers. Teacher residencies are a good example of ongoing mentor support. A teacher residency is a partnership between school districts and universities that provides in-class training for candidates. Teacher residencies are characterized by extended clinical placements with residents working under mentor teachers for as long as a full school year before becoming the teacher of record.

For example, the Tennessee Department of Education partners and supports local school districts with “Grow Your Own” programs that recruit teacher candidates from traditional and non-traditional


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pathways. The program leverages local diversity and provides mentorship from veteran teachers, professors, administrative staff, and the community.

Professional development. Professional development is a critical strategy to create a supportive, encouraging, and understanding environment for teachers of color. According to literature, at least six states have a recruitment center or office at the regional, state, or university level. These centers provide technical assistance in the form of workshops, conferences, and training sessions to school districts and universities on issues related to the recruitment, placement, and retention of teachers of color.

For example, at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the Diverse Teachers for Diverse Schools Initiative trains new teachers to develop a professional practice based on extensive research of instructional strategies and innovative practices. Candidates also receive guidance from mentors to gain professional support and feedback to help them succeed in their first year as teachers. Mentors are also given guidelines to facilitate conversations with candidates to create a supportive environment.

Professional development options the State could explore also include leadership programs for school principals and administrative staff. According to experts interviewed by the Program Evaluation Division, administrative support plays a critical role in improving the retention of teachers of color. Principals are responsible for setting standards for students and staff; therefore, it is critical for schools that seek to promote diversity to have an encouraging and culturally understanding administrator.

Government directive. The Program Evaluation Division identified 13 states, including Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia, that have laws or administrative directives focused on recruiting and/or retaining teachers of color. Exhibit 8 displays a map of states that have passed legislation and/or provide administrative guidance to implement strategies focused on increasing the diversity of their teacher workforce. Adopting this strategy would require an agency to take specific actions to support teacher diversity goals. According to literature, a directive could include requiring a state’s education department to

o prepare a plan to recruit teachers of color, o submit a report with the number of minority teachers

employed, o conduct studies of strategies for recruiting and retaining

teachers of color, and/or o identify the need for teachers in specific underrepresented

groups.

For example, a 2019 New Jersey law created a program to increase access to teaching opportunities for underrepresented or


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minority men and to provide high-quality teachers in low economic wealth districts or underperforming schools.

Exhibit 8: Thirteen States Have Government Directives to Increase Teacher Diversity

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on a review of laws in other states.

Most states have implemented one or more of these broad-based strategies, incentives, or guidance measures to support local school districts in recruiting and retaining teachers of color. The Program Evaluation Division identified 41 of 50 states as employing or offering guidance for strategies and/or initiatives focused on providing financial incentives, mentorships, alternative pathways, and/or job placements to increase diversity among teacher candidates and educators.

There is no single recognized set of statewide best practices. However, the Program Evaluation Division interviewed three states that comprehensively provide support and guidance to local school districts and universities in recruiting and retaining more teachers of color.13 Exhibit 9 highlights findings from those interviews.

13 The Program Evaluation Division identified states with promising practices using the following methodology: (1) reviewing legislation and programs in other states to identify states with programs dedicated to increasing teacher diversity and then (2) scoring other states’ legislation and programs based on the following criteria: (a) state success factors, such as whether the state articulates the program requirements through executive order, court order, legislation, and/or administrative code; (b) breadth of focus, such as whether the program targets multiple areas of diversity like race, ethnicity, and gender; (c) depth of focus, such as whether the program is focused on preparation, recruitment, or retention of teachers of color, or some combination of all three; and (d) data showing whether the state has seen a measurable increase in the proportion of teachers of color in recent years. Education policymakers and state-level education leaders in those states scoring highest according to this criteria were interviewed to better understand their promising practices and provided supporting documentation.


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Exhibit 9: Virginia, Tennessee, and New Jersey Maintain Several State-Level Efforts To Promote Teacher Diversity

Virginia Tennessee New Jersey

Annually publishes a teacher diversity index

Enacted HB 2037, establishing alternative means for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency and obtain initial licensure

Requires EPPs to annually submit a report

Provides support and guidance measures to LEAs and institutions

Partners with LEAs and EPPs to identify best practices for expanding the diversity of the teacher workforce

Scores institutions based on the number of applicants and graduates with a subfactor on candidates’ race/ethnicity

Provides grant to institutions to recruit and prepare more teachers of color

Partners with school districts to identify best practices

Partners with other entities to recruit candidates from other careers and undeclared majors

Department surveys graduates to determine career goals

Other States’ Initiatives to Recruit, Retain, and Prepare Teachers of Color

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on interviews with the departments of education of Virginia, Tennessee, and New Jersey.

The Virginia Department of Education has performed extensive research on increasing the diversity of its teacher workforce. Virginia manages a public statewide marketing tool called Teach Virginia to recruit teachers. LEAs, charter schools, and individuals can use the website to obtain information on vacant job positions, statewide and local events, colleges and EPPs, licensure requirements, job fairs, and general information on Virginia. Additionally, the Department of Education annually publishes a teacher diversity index. School districts (also known as divisions) use the index to compare teacher demographics to other districts and prioritize diversity in areas of shortage.

In 2019, Virginia enacted legislation to revise current requirements for initial licensure. House Bill 2037 provides alternative criteria for teacher candidates who have not completed the professional assessment to obtain


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initial licensure.14 These criteria allow a teacher who is employed as an educator and has attempted but not passed licensure exams to be granted a license if he or she has a recommendation for licensure from the division superintendent and has received an evaluation rating of proficient or above for each year of his or her provisional licensure. The Virginia Department of Education also requires universities to annually report on a number of metrics related to candidate acceptance into EPPs by race/ethnicity and how those rates compare to the institution at large.

The Tennessee Department of Education has formed various partnerships with school districts and universities and provides support to districts to implement innovative programs to increase the diversity of their teacher workforce. Tennessee scores institutions based on the number of applicants and completers with a subfactor focused on candidate race/ethnicity. Knowing the number of graduates who are persons of color is a better indicator of the supply of teachers of color than enrollment data.15 Institutions are more likely to recruit and support candidates of color because their performance in graduating this cohort impacts the institution’s standing and accreditation in the state.

Another strategy Tennessee has recently implemented involves partnering with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) to support a “Grow Your Own” program at Austin Peay State University. By partnering with CMCSS, Tennessee intends to identify best practices that create conditions to expand the diversity of the teacher workforce and can be replicated in other districts. This cohort has 40 future teachers who will earn a free bachelor’s degree in three years and receive several other financial incentives as well as mentorship opportunities.

The New Jersey Department of Education provides funding through the Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline project to incentivize institutions to recruit and prepare a greater number of diverse teacher candidates to meet the needs of partner local school districts. Applying institutions are responsible for developing strategies to increase equity for all students by providing access to high-quality, well-prepared, diverse educators. Additionally, applicants must submit annual progress reports related to the criteria mentioned above. The intent of this grant is to provide the state with successful models that can be replicated in other districts and institutions to increase the diversity of New Jersey’s teacher workforce. Currently, the state has two projects with an 18-month timeframe. Due to the ongoing status of these projects, department staff were unable to provide the Program Evaluation Division with evidence-based data.

New Jersey also partners with the Newark school district to learn from its best practices. Newark has launched several projects, including a “Grow Your Own” initiative that exposes high school students to the teaching profession and works with Urban Teacher Residency to place candidates in a classroom for a year to earn their practice component. The department

14 Virginia Code § 22.1-298.1. 15 According to the Supreme Court, Regents of Univ. of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978), any racial quota system supported by the government could be a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 unless an institution uses race as a subfactor in addition to other admissions criteria.


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also partners with other entities to recruit candidates from other careers and alternative pathways, as well as undeclared college students, to fill teaching positions. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Education offers support to candidates through the licensure process. For retention purposes, the department surveys candidates to determine career goals. Department staff stated they receive a large number of responses from minority candidates and found that many surveyed candidates of color intend to pursue leadership roles to make a greater impact. New Jersey staff stated that most candidates of color want support and the ability to transfer into an environment in which they can invest.

In summary, many states maintain programs, initiatives, and incentives aimed at increasing teacher diversity that are offered or supported statewide. The Program Evaluation Division conducted interviews with representatives from three states—Virginia, Tennessee, and New Jersey—that have undertaken especially comprehensive efforts to strengthen the diversity of their teacher pipelines and ensure students are exposed to teachers of color. These efforts provide examples that North Carolina could follow in creating more comprehensive policies to increase teacher diversity.

Finding 4. To improve the diversity of its teacher workforce, North Carolina could leverage existing programs and federal funding.

Exhibit 10 provides a list of efforts North Carolina could undertake to diversify its teacher workforce. Some methods were described in detail in Finding 3, which the exhibit indicates, and some methods are described in detail in the text following the exhibit.


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Exhibit 10: Options Exist to Diversify the State’s Teacher Workforce

Method of Diversifying Teacher Workforce

Description of Method Perceived Benefits of Method Would Additional

Funding Be Necessary?

Modifying NC Teaching Fellows to require inclusion of at least one HBCU or MSI

Program reestablished by the General Assembly to recruit, prepare, and support students attending a higher education institution that is being expanded to three additional EPPs

Leverages existing program to increase the number of teacher candidates of color

No

Providing financial incentives to prospective teachers at HBCUs

Scholarships, grants, and forgivable loans for the cost of education preparation and licensure

Reduces financial barriers for candidates to enter an EPP and teaching profession

Provides additional incentive to remain in the teaching profession

Yes

Establishing mentorship programs for teachers of color (discussed in Finding 3)

Network of teachers of color that provides guidance and feedback to prepare candidates to become teachers

Provides tools to help candidates complete preparation program

Provides extensive support during training

Yes

Implementing data monitoring policies and performance measures for EPPs

Data collection and management process to track candidates and teachers of color enrolled and graduating from EPPs

Provides data to determine program effectiveness

Enables comparison of candidate and teacher demographics across programs

May lead EPPs to bolster efforts to increase diversity

No

Establishing additional alternative licensure programs

Non-traditional pathway for students to obtain licensure

Tend to be more diverse

Carries lower cost for aspiring teachers of color

Offers additional fieldwork experience

Involves shorter preparation time

Yes

Creating and implementing alternative criteria for teachers to demonstrate competency

Offers alternative method to become certified for current teachers with demonstrable results in the classroom

Attempts to overcome issue of disproportionate number of teachers of color not passing licensure exams

No cost for plan, but potential implementation costs

Establishing cohort models for teacher candidates of color

Candidates of color working as a group to support each other while receiving academic training or professional development through a designated program

Provides a network of support for teachers and candidates of color

Provides classroom and development exercises and fieldwork experience

Yes

Providing professional development (discussed in Finding 3)

Recruitment center or office that hosts workshops, conferences, and training sessions for school districts, administrative staff, and universities on issues related to recruitment, placement, and retention of teachers of color

Provides a supportive, encouraging, and understanding environment for teachers of color

Improves retention of teachers

Yes

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on a review of literature and interviews with DPI, LEAs, charter schools, UNCGA, and subject matter experts.


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To promote a more diverse teacher workforce, the General Assembly could include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. From 1986 to 2011, the Teaching Fellows program recruited high school seniors into teaching by providing college scholarships that totaled $6,500 per year. Teaching Fellows receive a unique experience by participating in field exercises, seminars, and cultural events. As a recipient, a student was responsible for repayment by teaching in a North Carolina public school for four years. In 2012, the program was temporarily discontinued as part of budget reductions. A study performed by the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) evaluated the Teaching Fellows program and found that

the program attracts academically competitive individuals; Fellows tend to teach in classrooms with fewer economically

disadvantaged students and in districts that offer larger salary supplements than traditional and alternative entry teachers;

students taught by Fellows performed better than their student counterparts in elementary and middle grade mathematics; and

Fellows tend to remain in North Carolina public schools longer than non-Fellows.

In 2017, the General Assembly reestablished the NC Teaching Fellows program to recruit, prepare, and support students attending a higher education institution specifically for preparation as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or special education teacher in the State’s public schools.16 The General Assembly made several other changes to the program when reinstating it, including decreasing the number of partner institutions from 17 to 5 and expanding the program to allow a larger pool of candidates to apply. Students currently enrolled at an institution of higher education may qualify upon transferring into that institution’s EPP. Similarly, students may transfer from another institution into an EPP. Both of these options allow potential candidates to decide to join the program later in their academic careers than the program originally allowed. Finally, candidates who already have a bachelor’s degree and are only pursuing licensure may also apply. These three additional pathways increase the potential pool of candidates.

Fellows in the program receive up to $4,125 per semester for up to four years in the form of forgivable loans. Recipients are required to repay the loan or commit to four years of teaching at a North Carolina public school. The Teaching Fellows program is governed by the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission. The Commission is responsible for evaluating EPPs and using legislative criteria to select five EPPs to partner with the program. Exhibit 11 depicts the geographic location of these institutions as well as the proportion of students of color in their respective education programs. Teaching Fellows may attend

Elon University, Meredith College, NC State University,

16 Session Law 2017-57.


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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, or University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Exhibit 11: Student Diversity of EPPs with Which NC Teaching Fellows Program Partners

29% students of color





Note: Percentage of students of color reflects the demographics of the education program at each institution. By comparison, 43% of the collective student body of the 16 schools in the UNC system are students of color.

Source: Program Evaluation Division EPP performance reports for 2018-2019.

A report by the Teaching Fellows Commission states that racial diversity remained a challenge for the Teaching Fellows program between 2017 and 2019. Although the percentage of education students of color at the five participating institutions ranges from 20% to 30%, that level of diversity is not reflected in the Teaching Fellows program, which only had 16% students of color in 2018–19.17 In its 2020 annual report, the Teaching Fellows Commission stated it is addressing this lack of diversity by adjusting how funds that support campus recruitment efforts are allocated and by increasing support for programs with demonstrated success in recruiting and retaining diverse teacher candidates.

To further increase the pool of candidates, particularly candidates of color, the Teaching Fellows program could be expanded to HBCUs or other minority-serving institutions (MSIs).18 The General Assembly modified the program in 2019–20 to allow for the inclusion of three additional EPPs. These EPPs may be chosen to ensure a “diverse selection” of institutions. The Teaching Fellows Commission stated that this change would extend the reach of the program in recruiting minority applicants and applicants from rural areas. However, the modification as written does not ensure the inclusion of at least one HBCU or MSI.

HBCUs play an important role in training teachers of color. Nationally, though HBCUs enrolled only 2% of teacher candidates in EPPs based at a

17 The Teaching Fellows Commission also has identified gender diversity as a challenge, with 88% of the cohort being female in 2018–19. 18 The US Department of Education lists seven types of MSIs, including HBCUs. The remaining six types are Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions or Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, or Native American-serving nontribal institutions.


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college or university in 2011, they enrolled 16% of all black candidates in such programs.

The expansion of the Teaching Fellows program from five to eight institutions represents an opportunity to increase the diversity of the program. By including representation of HBCUs or MSIs among partner institutions, the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program will be more accessible to students of color interested in pursuing a career in teaching.

In addition to expanding the existing Teaching Fellows program, the General Assembly could increase the availability of scholarships, grants, and forgivable loans to prospective teachers at HBCUs. According to literature, financial burdens are among the biggest challenges faced by potential teachers of color. From attending EPPs to acquiring licensure, candidates must pay for multiple preparation courses and exams before becoming a full-time teacher. According to studies, these costs often deter black students significantly more than white students from joining the profession. As a result, the most common strategy to recruit teachers of color is to offer financial incentives, such as scholarships, grants, and forgivable loans to pay for or defer the cost of education or licensure exams. For example, a scholarship for prospective teachers who attend HBCUs structured similarly to the Cheatham-White merit scholarships for NC A&T University or NC Central University students would ease the financial burdens of prospective teachers attending those schools.19

To alleviate the cost of tuition and incentivize candidates to teach in low economic wealth districts, the State could use federal and/or state funding to provide additional scholarship funds or salary bonuses for candidates. Additionally, the State could partner with institutions to provide funding for candidates to take their initial performance assessments. Currently, some institutions allow students to request vouchers to pay for the cost of the edTPA. Appendix C lists the cost of assessments for selected licensure areas in North Carolina.

The General Assembly could design programs with peer support cohorts to encourage recruitment and retention. Under this model, potential teachers of color could work as a group to support each other while receiving support from experienced professionals throughout the licensure process. The State could partner with an institution to implement a teacher residency program that provides mentor and peer support, classroom and development exercises, and fieldwork experiences while candidates are pursuing licensure requirements. Call Me MiSTER is a successful initiative founded at Clemson University and since implemented across several states to recruit and retain black male teachers by promoting loan forgiveness, mentorship, academic and peer support, networking, preparation for state licensure exams, and assistance with job placement.

North Carolina has some successful partnerships that could facilitate similar programs, such as the North Carolina A&T Teacher Residency partnership with Randolph County Schools, Stokes County Schools, and Caswell County

19 N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116-290.


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Schools. This program prepares racially diverse and high-quality teacher candidates for rural schools. The program is administered at an HBCU, and as a result candidates of color made up nearly half of the first cohort of residents. A cohort model focused on recruiting and retaining candidates of color could increase diversity among the state’s teacher workforce, produce high-quality and effective teachers of color, and ensure equal access to high-quality educators for all students across the state.

The General Assembly could require implementation of data monitoring policies and performance measures related to diversity for EPPs. Such data collection, monitoring, and reporting requirements would track each EPP’s candidates and teachers of color enrolled and graduating.

The General Assembly created the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) in 2017 to advise the State Board of Education (SBE) on all matters related to the preparation, licensure, continuing education, and standards of conduct for public school educators. During its September 2020 meeting, the SBE approved a weighted accountability model proposed by PEPSC. Under this model, EPPs are held accountable for their percentage enrollment of nonwhite students compared to the institution as a whole and to the state, as well as for growth over time. Together, these measures account for 15% of the accountability model. These recommendations will next be submitted to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee for consideration.

The General Assembly could promote high-retention alternative licensure programs. As discussed in the Background, an alternative route program primarily serves candidates who are permitted to be the teacher of record in a classroom while working to become certified. This approach differs from the traditional EPP model whereby candidates do not seek to become teachers until they have graduated from an EPP. Many prospective teachers of color face challenges in completing college, including financial hardships, lack of preparation for college-level coursework, and the difficulty of being in an environment that does not provide support. Therefore, aspiring teachers of color are more likely to enter the profession through an alternative pathway than white teachers.

Alternative certification pathways have several benefits: they are generally less costly, they offer fieldwork experience from day one, and they offer shorter preparation time.

However, some research identifies disadvantages to alternative pathways. Researchers have found that teachers who enter the teaching profession through an alternative route are more likely to leave the profession either due to lack of preparation or due to other career aspirations.

North Carolina recently changed its alternative licensure pathway from the lateral entry pathway to a residency license pathway. With a residency license, teacher candidates must be employed as an educator and enrolled in a recognized EPP. These residencies vary in their structure and the amount of support offered to teacher candidates. During interviews, one EPP administrator stated that the change from lateral entry to the


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residency license did not go far enough to provide the wrap-around services teacher candidates need.20

The programs students attend while earning a license through an alternative pathway vary in the instruction and supports offered. Teacher residences are an example of a particularly comprehensive alternative pathway program. Often, a teacher residency may offer full certification and extensive preservice preparation of the same quality as a traditional EPP. For example, the NC A&T Teacher Residency program leads to a Master of Arts in Teaching and requires a three-year commitment to teach in a rural school after graduation.

The General Assembly could create alternative criteria for teachers to demonstrate competency. As discussed in the Background, teachers of color pass licensure exams at lower rates than do white teachers. Further, teacher licensure exams may not be good predictors of who will be effective teachers. Teachers have three years to complete licensure exams, and they could already be effective early-career teachers by the end of that three-year period. Alternative criteria, such as those established in Virginia (as discussed in Finding 3), would allow teachers to demonstrate competency and effectiveness through performance evaluations and student outcomes in the classroom instead of solely through licensure exams.

North Carolina could use federal Title II funds to support many of the programs discussed in Findings 3 and 4. Title II funds can be used to provide grants to state agencies and subgrants to local schools to

improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders,

provide low-income and minority students with greater access to effective educators, and

increase student achievement consistent with challenging state academic standards.

States are allotted an amount each fiscal year to be distributed to local school districts, EPPs, and other programs that meet federal requirements. The State could use Title II funding to support LEA and EPP programs that seek to increase diversity among the teacher workforce and provide equal access to high-quality teachers to all students.

In summary, changing how North Carolina recruits and retains teachers of color would require leveraging existing programs or establishing new ones. One legislative option would be to select an HBCU or MSI to participate in the NC Teaching Fellows program. Another legislative consideration would be to determine whether to use Title II federal funds or state funds to provide funding for candidates of color to mitigate some costs associated with acquiring licensure and incentivize candidates to teach in high-poverty areas.

20 Teacher residencies are characterized by partnerships between school districts and EPPs, extended clinical placements, ongoing mentor support, and curricula that are closely integrated with clinical practice. Teacher residents receive a master’s degree upon completion of the program and many programs include tuition assistance and a stipend for residents. North Carolina residency license holders may not go through a program which shares these characteristics.


Page 29 of 33

Recommendations Finding 3 of this report described several efforts undertaken by other states to increase the diversity of their teacher workforces. Finding 4 described ways North Carolina could leverage its existing programs. Implementation of the two recommendations discussed below should not require the expenditure of any additional state funds.

Recommendation 1. The General Assembly should mandate the inclusion of at least one Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or minority-serving institution (MSI) in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program.

As discussed in Finding 4, Session Law 2020-56 increased the number of institutions that may participate in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program from five to eight. In addition, the legislation directs the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission to select institutions that represent “a diverse selection of both postsecondary constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and private postsecondary institutions operating in the State.”

To increase the diversity of the teacher workforce, the General Assembly should mandate the inclusion of at least one Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or minority-serving institution (MSI) in the program. The General Assembly should direct the Commission to select an HBCU or MSI to participate in the Teaching Fellows program by October 1, 2021.

Recommendation 2. The General Assembly should require the State Board of Education (SBE), in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), to develop a plan for an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency.

As discussed in Finding 4, teachers of color experience, on average, lower passing rates on standardized licensure exams compared to their white peers. However, researchers have found a weak relationship between performance on these exams and effectiveness in the classroom.

To increase the diversity of the teacher workforce, the General Assembly should require the SBE, with consultation from PEPSC and DPI, to develop a plan for an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency. Alternative qualifications considered by the plan might include, but are not limited to,

receiving a recommendation from the district superintendent or receiving an evaluation rating of proficient or above for each year

of initial licensure.

In developing the plan, the SBE should identify the potential effect of an alternative qualification on the

diversity and effectiveness of the teacher workforce,

identify any benefits and challenges in implementing the plan, and


Page 30 of 33

identify costs to implement the plan if it were adopted.

SBE should submit the plan and any corresponding legislative changes necessary to implement the plan to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by October 1, 2021.

Appendices Appendix A: Percentage of Minority Teachers by State, 2007–08 to

2017–18

Appendix B: Detailed Comparison of Student and Teacher Demographics in North Carolina in 2015 and 2019

Appendix C: Cost of Exams for Selected Licensure Areas

Agency Response A draft of this report was submitted to the Department of Public

Instruction for review. Its response is provided following the appendices and is followed by a response from PED.

Program Evaluation Division Contact and Acknowledgments

For more information on this report, please contact the lead evaluator, Jennifer Hausman, at [email protected].

Staff members who made key contributions to this report include Cody Davis, Brent Lucas, and Sidney Thomas. Kiernan McGorty is Acting Director of the Program Evaluation Division.

Appendix A: Percentage of Minority Teachers by State, 2007–08 to 2017–18 State Percentage Minority Teachers, 2007–08 Percentage Minority Teachers, 2017–18

Alabama 25.8% 20.3% Alaska 13.7 19.0 Arizona 21.3 23.8 Arkansas 10.8 6.8 California 29.5 38.1 Colorado 11.0 13.3 Connecticut 7.1 10.9 Delaware 17.3 14.4 District of Columbia 74.0 N/A Florida 26.9 34.7 Georgia 25.0 30.0 Hawaii 68.3 75.4 Idaho 5.4 4.8 Illinois 10.8 18.0 Indiana 4.8 4.8 Iowa 1.3 4.4 Kansas 6.0 9.7 Kentucky 5.7 6.5 Louisiana 21.7 27.7 Maine 1.9 4.4 Maryland 32.6 N/A Massachusetts 6.9 9.4 Michigan 7.3 8.9 Minnesota 2.9 5.6 Mississippi 29.2 22.8 Missouri 7.1 6.7 Montana 4.1 7.6 Nebraska 2.6 2.2 Nevada 16.8 22.9 New Hampshire 2.0 2.0 New Jersey 13.6 18.7 New Mexico 41.9 46.2 New York 16.3 20.1 North Carolina 19.0 23.0 North Dakota 1.3 5.0 Ohio 5.8 7.5 Oklahoma 15.2 20.2 Oregon 6.9 12.8 Pennsylvania 3.3 4.8 Rhode Island 4.5 7.6 South Carolina 20.6 20.7 South Dakota 3.8 5.3 Tennessee 8.2 16.8 Texas 33.6 39.7 Utah 3.8 7.0 Vermont 2.2 2.6 Virginia 15.5 17.6 Washington 8.7 12.4 West Virginia 2.6 2.6 Wisconsin 4.6 5.1 Wyoming 4.5 7.1

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on the National Teacher and Principal Survey, 2007-08 and 2017-18

Appendix B: Detailed Comparison of Student and Teacher Demographics in North Carolina in 2015 and 2019


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Page 33 of 33

Appendix C: Cost of Exams for Selected Licensure Areas

Area of Licensure Number of Tests Required Minimum Total Cost

Elementary (K-6) 2 $374

Middle Grades (6-9) Language Arts 2 $446

Middle Grades (6-9) Mathematics 2 $420

Middle Grades (6-9) Science 2 $420

Middle Grades (6-9) Social Studies 2 $446

Secondary (9-12) English 2 $420

Secondary (9-12) Mathematics 2 $420

Secondary (9-12) Science (comprehensive) 2 $420

Secondary (9-12) Social Studies (comprehensive) 2 $420

Note: Elementary licensure candidates may choose between two test options; the less costly option is shown here.

Source: Program Evaluation Division based on the State Board of Education’s licensing testing requirements and data from the Educational Testing Service.

Mark Johnson, Superintendent of Public Instruction | [email protected] 6301 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-6301 | (984) 236-2200 | Fax (984) 236-2349

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

October 22, 2020 Dr. Kiernan McGorty Program Evaluation Division NC General Assembly Legislative Office Building, Suite 100 300 North Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Dear Dr. McGorty:

The value of a highly qualified, diverse teaching profession in helping to close the achievement gap for students is broadly recognized, and North Carolina has been proactive and innovative in our efforts to recruit and retain educators from all backgrounds over the past few years. The previous lack of comprehensive, state level efforts was a significant obstacle to progress in the past.

This Program Evaluation Division study, however, did not adequately capture the current efforts made in North Carolina, and it did not provide sufficient evidence of other initiatives and their impact around the country to inform improvements.

North Carolina has applied significant efforts to diversify the teacher population and provide rigorous data to inform the field. North Carolina does have concerted efforts in place to promote a diverse teacher work force. For example, TEACH NC is a partnership between DPI, BEST NC (a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving North Carolina’s education system), and the national nonprofit TEACH.ORG. The TEACH NC initiative is endorsed and supported by Governor Roy Cooper, the State Board of Education, and the Governor’s Education Cabinet (the Governor, the Chair of the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent, the President of the UNC System, the President of the Community College System, the Secretary of NC DHHS, the Secretary of the NC Commerce Department, and the President of the NC Independent Colleges and Universities). Many of the State’s Education Preparation Programs (EPPs) and local public school systems are participating in the program and have created profiles to attract qualified candidates to the teaching profession. TEACH NC was launched to establish a “one-stop shop” for people interested in teaching in North Carolina, to improve outreach, streamline the licensure and hiring processes, reduce leaks in the pipeline, and better leverage alternative licensure paths (that disproportionately benefit nontraditional and minority teacher populations). The initiative is complemented with state-driven access to

national teacher jobs boards and new capability for districts to proactively recruit candidates from across the country. Any potential uncertainty on how this initiative will impact teacher diversity would be because insufficient data are currently available to determine its impact on pipeline.

Another initiative working to diversify the teacher workforce is DRIVE. “Developing a Representative & Inclusive Vision for Education” is the Governor’s Task Force established by Executive Order specifically “to tackle the issue” raised in this report. DRIVE is acknowledged in the report but not considered a “government directive to increase teacher diversity.”

We disagree with comments made in the summary of Finding 2 that “EPPs are required to report on the diversity of their candidates and graduates, but the data has not been systematically analyzed to identify trends.” To fulfill a requirement in G.S. 115C-269.50, DPI developed the EPP Dashboard, an interactive system that tracks a wide range of educator preparation program demographics and outcome measures. The system tracks candidate selection and completion, knowledge and skills, licensing metrics and teacher performance in a way that can be easily disaggregated and compared by EPP, race/ethnicity, gender, and program pathway. The system can be accessed here: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/educator-preparation/epp-performance. This system identifies how to help candidates successfully complete the requirements of educator preparation programs and become teachers. This system supports a robust examination of teacher diversity across the state.

Finding 2 asserts that the General Assembly, State Board of Education, and NCDPI “can mandate actions to improve the diversity of the teacher workforce.” Neither the North Carolina State Board of Education nor the NC Department of Public Instruction has the authority to mandate such actions. The summary of Finding 2 also states that local districts are attempting local initiatives “in the absence of” a state-level, coordinated effort. On the contrary, local districts are creating local initiatives in addition to state-level efforts. Districts are the hiring authorities, and ultimately the makeup of their teacher population rests with them.

Finding 3 lacks sufficient information for practical and appropriate application

While PED goes to great lengths to identify initiatives taken in other states to address teacher diversity, they unfortunately do not provide evidence of the impact of those initiatives. PED should provide data to verify program effectiveness of these initiatives before recommending that the time, money, and resources be dedicated to copying them. Footnote 13 describes how PED determined which states’ practices to highlight and includes “(d) showing whether the state has seen a measurable increase in the proportion of teachers of color in recent years.” Yet, there are no outcome metrics or timespans for implementation that offer evidence of the impact or duration of those initiatives. The omission of outcome data and timelines to state and district implementations is prevalent throughout the entire report and not limited to Finding 3.

Our additional research on the states spotlighted as exemplars for state-level initiatives in the report (see Exhibit 9) illustrates how the report’s incomplete information should raise concerns. 2

The Tennessee Department of Education produced a report in August 2018 titled ‘Teacher and Administrator Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Tennessee’ that examined teacher diversity changes over time. “Since 2011-12, the overall percentage of teachers and administrators of color has remained fairly stable." Figure 3 in that report further illustrates that lack of change. In 'New Jersey's Teacher Workforce, 2019' written in September 2019, Dr. Weber's first bullet acknowledges there is little evidence of a trend toward a more diverse teaching corps in New Jersey. In May 13, 2019, Colleen O'Dea wrote an article 'New Jersey Makes Move to Recruit More Men of Color as Teachers' that further describes the conditions in the state:

“While 56 percent of New Jersey students were some race other than that white last year, just 16 percent of teachers, administrators and other professional staff were people of color, state data show. And a NJ Spotlight analysis of that data found that more than three-quarters of public-school districts in New Jersey have professional staffs that are at least 85 percent white and 50 districts employed no African-American, Hispanic, Asian or other minorities teachers last year.”

Together these findings suggest that while other states may be implementing state level strategies to improve teacher diversity, those initiatives are either too new to determine impact or have not had the intended effect. North Carolina should welcome the possibility of learning from other states to expedite implementation and maximize resources. Unfortunately, this report does not provide enough information to advance an identified initiative with confidence in its potential to be a catalyst for change. Recommendation 1 would not be as effective as the report suggests

While increasing the footprint of Historically Black Colleges or Universities in the Teaching Fellows Program could increase the number of diverse candidates coming out of that program, it is important to note that the adjustment will have little impact on increasing the overall percentage of teachers of color across the state.

According to the statistical profile on the DPI website, in 2019-2020 there were 93,923 teachers, of which 20,926 were non-white (22.28%). If 100 teaching fellow opportunities were given annually to non-white candidates, it would take 9 years to move that 1 percentage point at the state level.

Recommendation 2 as written could be problematic

We agree that alternative routes to the current reliance solely on licensure exams for demonstrating competency should be explored. For example, S.L. 2019-71 permits applicants to fulfill any such examination requirement before or during the third year of the initial professional license, provided the applicant took the examination at least once during the first year of the license. This means that a candidate could potentially demonstrate multiple years of effectiveness as measured by EVAAS, yet potentially be removed from the classroom if they are unable to pass their exams.

3

This report recommends allowing local superintendents to license teachers. The State Board of Education has cautioned that such a practice could severely reduce the rigors of entering the teaching profession to the detriment of students. The State Board of Education has long championed licensure standards that are equitably and consistently applied for the good of students across all of North Carolina.

Conclusion

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent, the Governor, the Governor’s Education Cabinet, local districts, and non-profit and community partners maintain a strong commitment to increase the diversity of the North Carolina’s teaching force. The agency appreciates the effort of the Program Evaluation Division to bring this important issue to prominence in advance of the next legislative session. But as explained, the agency is concerned that the report does not provide a thorough accounting of North Carolina’s efforts to improve the number of minority teachers in the state.

Furthermore, the report highlighted states and districts for having established programs focused on minority teacher recruitment without providing outcome measures or program timelines critical to fully understanding their effectiveness. NCDPI is hopeful that, through collaboration and partnership with PED, North Carolina can rigorously evaluate its current efforts for increasing the number of minority teachers in the state and contribute to a nationwide resolution of this issue.

Sincerely,

Mark Johnson NC Superintendent NC Department of Public Instruction

4

PED Response to Agency Response

As part of Program Evaluation Division (PED) protocol, agencies have the opportunity to respond to evaluation findings and recommendations; these responses are included as part of PED reports. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) took issue with several of this report’s findings and recommendations. The portions of DPI’s response that raised issues warranting clarification are included below, along with a response from PED and relevant report page numbers.

Issue 1: Absence of comprehensive state-level efforts explicitly targeted at teachers of color

DPI Response: “This Program Evaluation Division study…did not adequately capture the current efforts made in North Carolina….”

PED Response: The report discusses three initiatives in Finding 2, starting on page 10.

Teach NC, page 11: “Though the State lacks a dedicated effort to recruit teachers of color, it has recently implemented a statewide recruiting tool for all teachers…Although Teach NC is not explicitly targeted at recruiting teachers of color, DPI hopes the site will contribute to improving diversity by broadening the pool of candidates. According to DPI, 48% of the subscribers and registered users of Teach NC self-report as racial or ethnic minorities. However, it is unclear at this point what impact Teach NC will have on the diversity of the teacher workforce, given that increasing teacher diversity is not its specific purpose.”

o Indeed, DPI’s response agrees, “Any potential uncertainty on how this initiative will impact teacher diversity would be because insufficient data are currently available to determine its impact on pipeline.”

DRIVE, page 11: “One planning effort that is currently in its early stages is the 15-member Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Task Force, established in December 2019 through Executive Order 113. The Task Force arose from a summit of educators, school and district leaders, and elected officials and is charged with advising the Governor on “strategies that would address matters of equity and inclusion within education. The Task Force’s full report, including recommendations, is due January 1, 2021. However, unlike the General Assembly, State Board of Education, or DPI, which can mandate actions to improve the diversity of the teacher workforce, the Task Force can only make recommendations.”

o Contrary to what DPI’s response indicates, PED’s report does not state that DRIVE is “not a government directive to increase teacher diversity.” Rather, PED’s report states that DRIVE is a planning effort in its early stages, and that its duties are to report to and advise the Governor on matters of equity and inclusion in education. The task force does not have power or duties related to making or implementing policy; such authority lies with the General Assembly through legislation, the State Board of Education through board policy, or the Governor through explicit executive action directing DPI to implement any recommendations received from DRIVE.

EPP metrics and dashboard, page 12: “DPI publishes EPP performance data disaggregated by race and sex, including data on accountability measures, in a publicly available dashboard. However, there does not appear to be any effort in place to systematically use the data for decision-making purposes. For example, it does not appear any entities compare EPPs on the diversity of their candidates and graduates. Performing cross-program and historical analyses could help pinpoint programs successful at producing teachers of color for the state’s teaching workforce or identify programs that need to focus more on diversity.”

PED Response to Agency Response

o PED agrees with DPI’s response that “This system supports a robust examination of teacher diversity across the state.” PED’s point is that “there does not appear to be any effort in place to systematically use the data for decision-making purposes.”

PED maintains that the initiatives discussed above represent important steps toward supporting the increase of teacher diversity in the state but do not represent comprehensive state-level efforts because they are not explicitly targeted at teachers of color, or in the case of DRIVE, have not yet produced actionable recommendations. In addition, PED maintains the State Board of Education does have the authority to mandate actions to increase the diversity of the teacher workforce through its rule-making authority, and doing so would further its own stated goal of increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce.

Issue 2: DPI’s misstatements regarding PED’s recommendations

DPI Response: “While PED goes to great lengths to identify initiatives taken in other states to address teacher diversity, they unfortunately do not provide evidence of the impact of those initiatives. PED should provide data to verify program effectiveness of these initiatives before recommending that the time, money, and resources be dedicated to copying them.”

PED Response: The report discusses this matter beginning on page 3 and later on page 19.

Purpose and Scope (page 3): “The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee’s 2019–20 Work Plan directed the Program Evaluation Division to examine the effectiveness of North Carolina's current efforts to increase diversity in the teacher workforce. The directive for this study further required the Program Evaluation Division to explore whether other states are engaging in effective efforts and to report on any promising practices applicable to North Carolina.” (emphasis added in bold)

PED identified states with promising practices using a methodology described on page 19. Virginia, Tennessee, and New Jersey scored highly based on the PED’s criteria. Their diversity initiatives are discussed in Finding 3, starting on page 18.

PED did not recommend implementing any of these states’ initiatives but rather identified and described them pursuant to the study directive. Instead, PED proposed recommendations that “should not require the expenditure of any additional state funds” (page 31).

DPI Response: “This report recommends allowing local superintendents to license teachers.”

PED Response: The report discusses this matter in Recommendation 2 (page 29-30): “The General Assembly should require the State Board of Education (SBE), in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), to develop a plan for an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency.” (emphasis added in bold and underline)

PED suggests alternative qualifications could include candidates receiving a recommendation from their local superintendents. The SBE has discretion to include or disregard this suggestion. Further, the recommendation is only for a plan to be developed for consideration and does not mandate its implementation.

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